Today, fuel cells are being developed to power passenger vehicles, commercial buildings, homes, and even small devices such as laptop computers. In addition to being a zero emission technology, fuel cell systems can be extremely efficient over a large range of sizes (from 1 kW to hundreds of megawatts). Current R&D focuses on the development of reliable, low-cost, high-performance fuel cell system components for transportation and buildings applications.
Although fuel cell technology is conceptualized as forming part of the path to energy independence for vehicles, commercialization of a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle has been elusive. In general, cost and durability are the major challenges to fuel cell commercialization. Size, weight, and thermal and water management are also barriers to the commercialization of fuel cell technology. Moreover, in transportation applications, these technologies face more stringent cost and durability hurdles. With the very limited commercialization of fuel cell vehicles, many problems unique to these applications go unrecognized and thus unsolved.